THE 'MINUTE OF MOTION' - PART 1

“My dream job will NOT include sitting behind a desk from 9-5 staring into a screen.”

I have made the above statement so many times in my life, I’ve lost count.

Today, I do that. I sit behind a desk, staring at a screen for 8 hours at a time. Ironically,

I am doing a job I have dreamed of, for a company I love for so many reasons.

My first week of working at Responsive was a shock to the system both physically and psychologically.

My previous jobs (they were all only part-time) always required a lot of physical activity whether I was teaching aerobics classes at the gym or drama and dance to toddlers.

The difference between the nature of my previous jobs and my newest one was vast. I wondered, “Would I last in this setting?” Was there a way of staying physically active and productive at the same time?

After two weeks of trying to adjust to ‘my new way of life’, a colleague of mine shared some astonishing Youtube videos with me about the negative effects of sitting for too long.

Here’s what I learnt:

Scary stuff! I know. This is because we are not made to live life bound to a desk.

But wait! Don’t quit your office job yet. There is a solution!

Here are some ways you can counteract the health risks of inactivity:

Use a standing desk.

Drink more water. It’s healthy and you’ll need to have a bathroom break more often.

Go talk to someone in your office instead of emailing or sending them a Slack message (pun intended).

If you need something across the room stand up and get it.

Sit on an exercise ball to help you use more muscles while working.

Stand up during phone calls or while you are texting.

Use your phone to track your steps.

It’s not about doing a large chunk of exercise at one time but breaking your sitting up and moving regularly.

At Responsive, we coined the phrase, #MinuteOfMotion as our solution to the problem. All it takes is a minute of stretching, exercising or dancing every few hours. To make it fun, we play a pumping song and notify our colleagues beforehand about the time and activity.

The results are remarkable:

We have fun.

We counteract the dangers of inactivity.

We build relationships and camaraderie.

We create a health-conscious culture at work.

We boost personal productivity because of the release of tension.

Minute of Motion has changed my idea of a dream job. If you would like to implement #MinuteOfMotionat your work or in your life, follow the #MinuteOfMotionseries on our blog and let us know your thoughts.

RELATED ARTICLES

The beauty of having international offices is having diverse people in our team. Sam Mernick is the latest addition to our ever-growing family and he hails all the way from the big NYC. His story is priceless.

A tech project is like an outdoor obstacle race. You can purchase all the right gear and you can meticulously plan to conquer each obstacle, but without one important factor you will fail to reach the summit.